Camera and range finder



Patented July 3, 1945 CAMERA AND RANGE FINDER Edwin L. Fischer, Endweli, N. n, assignor to Genoral Aniline & Film Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 14, 1940, Serial No. 365,662

2 Claims.

This application concerns a camera and range finder construction which is especially suitable for use at night or in dim light.

The ordinary optical range finder is well known in the prior art andhas been built into camera constructions in various ways. These range finders, however, are difficult to use in extremely dim light and cannot be used at all in the dark. Various proposals have been made to avoid this difliculty. For example, devices have been suggested which employ a single beam of light which is focused on the object in question. Even with such a beam, however, it is difllcult to determine whether the finder is accurately focused. V

With these defects of the prior art range finders in view, it is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a new type of range finder .which can be employed easily in the dark or in dim light.

Another object is to provide a. camera with a built-in or coupled range finder for use under adverse lighting conditions.

(on. lib-4t) A still further object is to provide a range finder in which aplurali-ty of separated beams may be superimposed on a given object to determine the distance of said object from the camera.

An additional object is to provide such a range finder of the plural beam type coupled with the focusingmechanism of a camera for automatic focusing of the latter.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims.

In the drawing, which forms a part of this application.

Figure 1 .s a sectional top view of a separate range finder embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of a camera with a builtin rat a finder embodying the present invention,

the cover of the camera removed; and

l gures 3, 4, and 5 are schematic diagrams of difierent modifications of the invention.

In order that those persons skilled in the art may readily understand the nature and scope of this invention, the following detailed and concise description is' given, with particular reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

In Figure 1, the range finder comprises a casing 80 in which is mounted a bulb or light source Bulb I I is connected by wire l2 to one terminal of a battery 2|. This battery is carried in a chamber 22 which forms a part of the finder casing, and said chamber is provided with a cover plate 23 which can be removed for ready access to or away from fixed beam 42.

the battery or batteries. Lamp H is also connected by wire $3 to one terminal H of a suitable switch mechanism. Terminal I4 is fixed on a stud l8 mounted in the casing l0. A movable switch arm I5 is also mounted on said stud and is provided with a finger piece It which projects through an opening H in the casing. It is apparent that pressure on member is will close said- 1 0 and 39. Mirror 25 is mounted on a bracket 2? fastened to the-range finder casing by screws 29.

This particular mirror is thus fixed with reference to said casing. Mirror 26, on the other hand, is rotatably mounted at 30 on the projecting arm 3| of bracket 28. Bracket 28 is also fixed to the casing by screws 29. The rotatable mirror 26 is provided with a control arm 32 which, together with the 'mirror, is urged in a counterclockwise direction (in Figure 1) by a spring 33 connected to said arm and to the casing as shown. Spring 33 thus urges the end of arm 32 toward the casing wall so that flange 34 on arm 32 is held in contact with the end of adjusting screw 35.

Adjusting screw 35 is mounted in bracket 30 carried by the casing, and moves back and forth in said bracket as the screw is rotated by control knob 31. Knob 31 has a scale 38 to indicate the range of a particular object, as explained below.

It will be apparent that rotation of knob 31 and screw 35 will move the lug 34, arm 32 and mirror 26. As the mirror is rotated, light beam 4| which is reflected by this mirror will be deflected toward Thus it is possible, by rotation of knob 31, to make beams 4| and 42 coincide on a given object; Scale 38 is so calibrated that it will register the particular distance of an object from the user, whenever the beams 4| and 42 are superimposed on that particular I object. o

to focus the camera for difierent object distances by means of the knurled focusing ring 45 which is rotatable around the lens carrier. This focusing ring 46 is rotated by the flngers of the operator to secure the necessary adjustment of the lens.

In the camera body is mounted a lamp 4! which serves as the source of light for the range flnder. Lamp 41 is carried on a bracket 48 provided with slots 49 through which the screws 50, connecting the bracket to the casing, may pass. Because of the slot arrangement it is possible tomove the lamp slightly in order to adjust the projected beams 54 and 55 to any necessary extent. Beam 54 is produced by means of fixed mirror carried on bracket 52, which reflects the light from bulb 41 through fixed lens 53. The second beam 55 is reflected from bulb M by mirror 56 through lens 58. Mirror 56 is carried by the movable bracket 51, which in turn is rotatably mounted at 59 on bracket 60 fastened to the camera casing.

connected in circuit with bulb H and the batteries of said flash attachment by wiring similar to that shown in Figure 1. Thus the same batteries may furnish current for both the range finder and the flash bulb.

It will be obvious to those persons skilled in the art that equivalent forms of construction may be employed in accordance with the present inven- The movable bracket 51 is further provided with the control arm GI which is urged in a counterclockwise direction by spring 62. One end of spring 52 is fastened to said arm 61 and the other end of spring 62 is connected to a bearing memher or bracket 83 in the camera body.

The action of spring 52 urges arm El and its flange 54 in a downward direction in the drawing. Thus flange 54 is held against the end of screw 65, which is carried in bracket 63 in a manner similar to that described for screw 35 and bracket 36 of Figure 1. Thus rotation of screw 55 moves the arm El and mirror 56 to deflect beam 55 and permit beams 54 and 55 to be superimposed on a given object. It should be noted that lens 58 is mounted in a tubular extension connected to bracket 51' and mirror 56. The lens thus moves and tends to remain in the path of beam 58 as the mirror is rotated. Actually beam 55 is deflected through an angle twice as great as the angle of rotation of the mirror and lens and will not remain exactly coaxial with lens 58 in the construction shown. Within the range of deflections required, however, this discrepancy does not become serious. The error could, of course, be completely avoided by connecting lens 58 and mirror 55 or screw 65 in such a Way that; the lens would be rotated twice as far as the mirror in a given adjustment.

Screw 65 is provided with a wide gear 6'5, whichis driven by a smaller gear 61' on shaft 68. Shaft 68 projects through the front of the camera casing and carries another gear member 69 which meshes directly or through an intermediate gear with the knurled focusing ring 46. Thus, as the focusing ring is rotated by the operator, shaft 58 will also be rotated and will drive screw 55 to move mirror 56 and lens 53 as described.

By a suitable choice of gearing, it will be readily understood that the focusing of the camera. lens and the deflection of beam 55 can be synchronized so that the lens will be focused on a given object whenever the light beams 54 and 55 are superimposed on that object.

Bulb 41 may derive its current, from a separate battery as in Figure l, or it may, if desired, be connected to the batteries of a photoflash attachment of well-known type. The battery chamber of such an attachment is shown at 10 in Figure 2 and is connected to the camera by bracket 1|. Casing ID, in turn, is provided with a socket 12 for the photofiash bulb and with the bracket 13 in which the usual reflector is mounted. A switch member or button 14 may be tion. Figures 3, 4, and 5 show three different variations of my basic idea. Thus, in Figure 3, the light from bulb 15 is projected in the form of two separate beams by mirrors Hi and 11 and corresponding lenses 18 and 19. Instead of a single adjustable mirror as in Figures 1 and 2, the de vice of Figure 3 has two movable mirrors to achieve the same result. Both lenses may also be adjustable. The particular means employed for the rotation of these mirrors may be similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2, or any other equivalent form of construction may be used.

In Figure 4 the light source or bulb B0 is movable in. a direction which is substantially perpendicular to a line connecting the mirrors B1 and 83 and also substantially parallel to the illnally projected beams t8 and B9. Mirrors 55! and 53 are carried on brackets 85 and 435 which are both fixed with respect to the casing of the range finder or camera. The light beams which are reflected by the mirrors through lenses B5 and 87 may be deflected to achieve the results of this invention by movement of the light source l0 between its heavy line position and the dotted line position shown at 8|. Movement of the light source is controlled by means similar to those used for the mirrors of Figures 1 and 2.

In Figure 5 a different modification has been shown which employs only one mirror 90. The light from bulb 92, according to this figure, is reflected by the movable mirror 90 through the A second lens 93 projects a fixed beam of light directly from bulb 92 without the insertion of any reflecting means between said bulb and lens. It is also clear that two separate light sources could be used and that movable wedges could be employed in place of the rotatable mirrors to deflect at least one beam. Since other equivalent forms of construction will be readily apparent to anyone skilled in the art, it is not my intention to limit this invention to th precise mechanical embodiment shown in the drawing. The invention should. be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope of the attached claims.

Now therefore I claim:

1. A photographic camera having in combination, a casing, an objective and mounting therefor, said mounting being rotatable for moving the objective axially of the mounting for focusing it, a range finder attached to said casing and having a source of light, two mirrors and a cooperating lens for each mirror, one 01' said mirrors being fixed to reflect a beam from the light through its lens and parallel to the extension of the objective, the other mirror being pivoted so that light reflected thereby may be caused to project through its lens and in a direction parallel to the first-mentioned beam or inclined at an angle thereto, means for swinging said movable mirror including an arm, a spring and an adjusting screw having a gear fixed thereto, a shaft projectingfrom said range finder and having a pinion meshing with said gear and also being connected for rotation with the objective mounting. the construction and operation being such that as the objective is focused, the movable mirror will be swung about its pivot to reflect its beam aavaoce 3 tion, a casing, an objective, and a, rotary mount 5 for said objective, said rotary mount being movable throughout a predetermined angular extent for focusing the objective, 9, range finder constructed as an integral part of said camera and including two mirrors, one of which is fixed in position and the other of which is angularly movable, a source of light intermediate the said mirrors and lenses in said casing through each of which a beam of light reflected. by one, the said mirrors is projected, an arm or swinging said movable mirror/and means for converting the focusing movement of the objective into an angular movement of said mirror, including a rotary element geared to the objective mount and an axially movable threaded extension engageaible 10 with th said arm.

EDWIN L. FISCHER. 

